CHARGE PORT COVERING ASSEMBLY AND COVERING METHOD

• US 20190023126A1
• Filed: 07/21/2017
• Published: 01/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Khafagy, Hafiz Shafeek, D'Annunzio, Julie, Salam, Mahmud, Guido, Maria
• Granted Patent: US 10,442,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/05 Inlet covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/053 with hinged connection to the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2015/0569 with actuator fixed to the inlet cover
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/38 with a horizontal axis of rotation at the top or bottom of the opening E06B3/5036 takes precedence

Abstract

An exemplary charge port covering assembly includes, among other things, a biasing device configured to move to a first position when a charger is decoupled from a charge port, and to a second position when the charger is coupled to the charge port. A charge port door is moveable to a closed position when the biasing device is in the first position, and is held in an open position when the biasing device is in the second position. An exemplary charge port covering method includes, among other things, biasing a charge port door toward an open position with a biasing device in a first position, and moving the biasing device from the first position to a second position to close the charge port door.

Claims

1. A charge port covering assembly, comprising:

a biasing device configured to move to a first position when a charger is decoupled from a charge port, and to a second position when the charger is coupled to the charge port; and

a charge port door that is moveable to a closed position when the biasing device is in the first position, and is held in an open position when the biasing device is in the second position.

2. The charge port covering assembly of claim 1, wherein the biasing device is a spring.

3. The charge port covering assembly of claim 1, further comprising a slideable member, wherein the biasing device is coupled to the charge port door and the slideable member.

4. The charge port covering assembly of claim 1, wherein the biasing device in the second position holds the charge port door in the open position.

5. The charge port covering assembly of claim 3, wherein the slideable member is a pin.

6. The charge port covering assembly of claim 3, wherein the slideable member is configured to slide from a retracted position to an extended position to move the biasing device from the first position to the second position.

7. The charge port covering assembly of claim 6, further comprising an actuator configured to move between activated position and a deactivated position, the actuator in the activated position configured to move the slideable member from the retracted position to the extended position, the actuator in the deactivated position configured to permit movement of the slideable member from the extended position to the retracted position.

8. The charge port covering assembly of claim 7, wherein the biasing device is a first biasing device and further comprising a second biasing device that biases the actuator toward the deactivated position.

9. The charge port covering assembly of claim 7, further comprising a first actuator member of the actuator and a second actuator member of the actuator, wherein the second actuator member is moved when in the deactivated position to provide an open area for the first actuator member to fall downward and permit the slideable member to move to the retracted position.

10. A charge port covering method, comprising:

biasing a charge port door toward an open position with a biasing device in a first position; and

moving the biasing device from the first position to a second position to close the charge port door.

11. The charge port covering method of claim 10, further comprising coupling a charger to a charge port to move the biasing device from the first position to the second position, and decoupling the charger from the charge port to move the biasing device from the second position to the first position.

12. The charge port covering method of claim 10, further comprising moving a slideable member to move the biasing device.

13. The charge port covering method of claim 12, wherein the biasing device is coupled to the slideable member and the charge port door.

14. The charge port covering method of claim 12, wherein the slideable member is configured to slide from a retracted position to an extended position to move the biasing device from the first position to the second position.

15. The charge port covering method of claim 14, further comprising applying the biasing using a spring.

16. The charge port covering method of claim 12, further comprising coupling a charger to a charge port to move an actuator to an activated position, and decoupling the charger from the charge port to move the actuator to a deactivated position, wherein the moving of the actuator to the activated position moving the slideable member from the retracted position to the extended position, the moving of the actuator to the deactivated position permitting movement of the slideable member from the extended position to the retracted position.

17. The charge port covering method of claim 16, wherein the biasing device is a first biasing device and further comprising biasing the actuator toward the deactivated position using a second biasing device.

18. The charge port covering method of claim 17, wherein coupling the charger to the charge port overcomes a biasing force applied by the second biasing device, the biasing force applied by the second biasing device biasing the actuator toward the deactivated position.

19. The charge port covering method of claim 16, further comprising moving a first actuator member of the actuator and a second actuator member of the actuator when moving the actuator between the deactivated position and the activated position, wherein the second actuator member is moved when in the deactivated position to provide an open area for the first actuator member to fall downward and permit the slideable member to move to the retracted position.